This week, buoyed by stumbling on a couple timing techniques and some concepts not yet taught in my astrology class, I bravely agreed to look at the birth charts for a few friends. These are people I know online, meaning what I know of them comes solely from the curated version of themselves they put out there. One was a work colleague, someone from a culture far removed from my own. One was a writer friend, someone I knew through her words and her social media feed. Three others are Twitter friends, none of whom I have met in real life.

They trusted me with their personal information. I, on the other side, treated the information as with the sacredness I associate with things beyond my grasp. I pulled up their charts, lingered long enough to see what my eyes were drawn to. Even as I looked at the charts, I realized I should be doing this methodically, sign by sign, house by house, planet by planet and, aspect by aspect. Instead, I took shortcuts, taking a peek at the automatically generated weightage given to each placement as a number.

With each chart, I scribbled notes on a paper, noting the sect, the angular houses, the houses that spoke the loudest. For each house, I wrote down my impressions as they came gushing through my head. I tried to think of it as I do with my chart. Each area of life connected, interwoven with others. I let my notes sit, simmer a day before I picked the courage to reach out to each person and set up a time.

My first reading was rushed, full-on energy and enthusiasm, and focused less on tracking whether the recipient was making sense of what she was hearing. The second was better. I assumed the role of a teacher, starting from scratch and describing what a birth chart was, what the planets meant, and why they were oracles.

By the time, I wrapped my last but one reading, I went with the flow, moving from house to house, highlighting things that stood out to me, challenges I assumed they faced, and took a stab at interpreting transits. The words I heard my teacher use came easily and naturally. When the person at the other end confirmed my interpretation, I smiled. Where I stumbled, I made a mental note to revisit why I interpreted something the way I did.

As I wrap up for today, I realize I could do this many times over and never tire of it. At least, it feels that way now. I only wish I could peer into my future and know the answer.

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